River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-11-24
Temperance.
CONDUCTED BY THEW. c. I. U.
"F6r God and Home and Native Land"
Plain Speech.

Plain Speech.
A little while ago, one man, clean
modest and brave, went out alone and
dug into the darkness of London foI
the truth of evil. He found it; he
made printers ink of it raw; and then
--shocking!-he threw the picture OF
damnation naked into the face of court
and commons!
Yes, England was shocked and
America felt the rumbling on her low
ground; both woke up. Society
screamed, plucked shawl about her
ears and cried, Foul! Monstrous! Smoth-
er the story! Even the best of the
| good fell back and virtue blushed
through her tears. But not one of
them has yet dropped off to sleep over
protection for youthful purity. Why
| not? That arrow VIM. Stead let fly
was truth, and truth so plain that lib
| erlinism leaned transfixed; all decent
men of might turned from trade for a
day and shouted into the ear of parlia-
ment the wall of the children; and
matrons at ease in virtue felt whipped
into their walking shoes to go and save
their sisters their native sweetness.
You know how, too, the sentiment for
social purity begot of that revelation
in Saxon unveiled, soon circled the
earth with its white wings and planted
the White Cross, educating the law in
protection for child purity from seven
and ten years up to sixteen and eigh-
teen.
Now the force of the Pail Mall blow
was not in the novelty of its facts.
London was not ignorant that its lust
full January oft beguiled its innocent
May; and Sir Lordship's sacrifice of
the lambs of his dependent peasantry
had a thousand times been ''prudently"
proclaimed; yet the wicked continued
their spoliations, and the virtuous,
signing, said it had always been thus,
and let them continue. Verify to-day's
progress in social purity is the triumph
of plain speech. 1t was by direct, APP
| palIing presentation of barbarism,
that the conscience of cleanness was
shocked into taking up the cudgel for
decency.
BY that blaze, too, Dame Prudish-
ness saw how she promoted sin by
silence, and her guilty reserve fell off.
1t has been only within sight of the
seattle" leaping the low hedge that
the hedge has grown higher, and the
remaining plants of the nursery are
thus saved from beastly browsing.
1t is to this continued and unsparing
discussion by men and women of pur-
est conduct and character that parlia-
ments and legislatures have had to
surrender.
BY the same, too, thousands of youth
have become so enlightened as to be
self protecting. Are they, therefore,
less pure, strong and amiable! Youth
not wisely informed not kindly strenth-
ened by words ''fitly spoken, do not
such recruit the host "of frail'--the
single file of the zone more unfortu-
nate gone to her rest"-the sad legion
that stay and wear ''the scarlet letter."
And yet some childlike innOcents
are tossing their thistle of criticism at
the most illustrious lady this country
listens to on Social Purity-"uses too
plain speech for the mixed audience"
they say. They mistake. Why, as the
suffering on the field at Chatsworth
and the need for it's quick relief must
have curtained every exposed and
| wounded form from impure hint or
thought in man, or even least noble
blood, so, upon the bosom of this theme
lies that exalted necessity for naked
ness which marks its purpose pure,
lifts its pleadings above all trace of
immodesty, and can leave in sound
minds no immodest lingeringsi
Surely, the young woman, who, a
man being in sight cannot profitably
hear what her gentle and accomplished
| sister will say to lift the young above
the subtlest of temptations, looks mar
rowly upon life, or is not careful of her
weaker sister. The young man and
woman need not only to know that
| driftings uncurbed may make each
others misfortune, but it is an extra
| coat of mail round each to know that
| the other is well informed; and ii
should be the leaven of good purpose
| in both to feel that the society of the
most worthy is but kindly cautious for
their ways, and would encourage them
upward. 1t is the day of Co education.
Nay, if plainness of speech began in
the home-father and mother respec'
lively the wisest and most confidential
friend of son and daughter there'd be
prevention of many half suicides, and
but small demand would remain for
public warning.
Present the steady going audience
with clear cut truth touching the de-
pravity of the liquor traffic in large
cities-its fishings for little boys and
girls, its wreck of maiden purity, put
ting out the light in all the home, its
brutal abuse of babes, wives and
mothers, the founding crib its forni'
cations fill, its universal partnership IN
the gambling cellars, and the chambers
of prostitution, its thefts, hungers,
murders, divorcements, and its daily
shipment of souls through to the bot.
tom terminus-fll out the sketch be.
fore your untraveled country audien-
ces, and the half will be very slow to
believe you while half of the rest will
reproach you as ''too plain spoken.
Yet it is only this, your knife OF plain
speech hilt-deep in the bowels of the
monster. that shocks the unwilling in
10 that unrest which finally seeks relief
at the ballot box.
| To be personal, whatever may be the
force of Sam Jones for righteousness,
its enginery is his plain phrase-truth
so bald it shines-his positive ungloved
assault upon the ways and means OF
the unrighteOus.
If You want sin to sleep cold and
then freeze to death, pull the eoverlids
off his bed Union Signal Editorial.
Itch. mango, and scratches of every
kind on human or animals cured in 80
minutes by woolford's Sanitary Lotion.
| mt. .,a- @aiIS Sold hvP Freeman